Legislature Considers Blunting Prop 47; 1,000 LA First Responders Test Positive, Must Quarantine; Beverly Hills Unanimously Supports Gascon Recall; and Other Stories: Monday Morning Memo

Courts & Rulings

California Supreme Court rejects early releases for violent crime

The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday that corrections officials need not consider earlier release for violent felons, even those whose primary offense is considered nonviolent under state law. The ruling stems from inmates' latest attempt to expand the application of an initiative championed by former Gov. Jerry Brown and approved by nearly two-thirds of voters in 2016.

AP

Maglula beats Amazon in counterfeit claims

In a David versus Goliath-like case, Israel-based Maglula achieved something no other company has: a court ruling that its case against Amazon was a "straightforward counterfeit case." That's precisely how U.S. District Court Judge Liam O'Grady ruled in an order denying Amazon's motion to try to end nearly all Maglula's case against Amazon for the sale of counterfeit goods.

Mondaq

S.C. upholds death sentence, says confession not linked to earlier Miranda violations

The California Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision, yesterday affirmed the murder conviction and death sentence of a man who fatally shot a deputy sheriff responding to a domestic disturbance call, holding that although officers repeatedly violated the suspect's Miranda rights by seeking to draw a confession from him despite his expressed desire to remain silent, his later inculpatory statements to a police psychiatrist were voluntary.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Suspicion of people-smuggling at border justified vehicle stop

A law enforcement officer justifiably pursued a minivan that was spotted in a restricted area a few yards from the Mexican border which, when the driver spotted the patrol car, sped off, the Court of Appeal for this district held on Thursday, saying the officer reasonably suspected the motorist of smuggling aliens into the United States and therefore had good cause to initiate a vehicle stop.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

California Court Of Appeal restricts public agencies' ability to reject overly burdensome Public Records Act requests

In Getz v. County of El Dorado, the Third District Court of Appeal has overturned a trial court decision in favor of the County of El Dorado, finding that the County is required to disclose over 40,000 records in response to a request made under the California Public Records Act.

Mondaq

Tenth Circuit denies qualified immunity to social worker who fabricated a mother's confession of child abuse

For the second time in about as many weeks, an appeals court has handed down a decision denying qualified immunity to a government employee. That's good! We don't see a lot of these. Getting more than one in a month almost feels excessive, as if we're being set up by the courts for a few months of anger and disappointment to offset this judicial largesse.

Techdirt

Private judge hired to decide divorce issues was empowered to issue DVRO

The Court of Appeal for this district yesterday rejected the contention by a woman that when she and her husband stipulated that that a former member of the Ventura Court Superior Court would resolve issues in their dissolution of marriage, as a temporary judge, that did not empower the jurist to issue a domestic violence restraining order. That, the wife, Dorit Reichental, maintained, was an ancillary matter, not covered by the stipulation.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Federal court tells Proud Boys defendants that raiding the Capitol building isn't covered by the First Amendment

A handful of Proud Boys members charged with crimes related to the January 6th raid on the Capitol building are arguing their actions are protected by the First Amendment. According to the defendants, the raid they participated in was nothing more than a protest. Alternatively, they're arguing one of the laws being used against them is unconstitutionally overbroad, turning otherwise legal activity into illegal activity.

Techdirt

Ninth Circuit rejects challenge to California wildfire 'bailout' fund

Finding no legally fatal flaws in the process for approving a $13.5 billion wildfire "bailout" fund, the Ninth Circuit on Thursday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging a monthly surcharge on California ratepayers' electric bills. Two PG&E customers who sued the state in 2019 had argued California regulators used a legally deficient process to approve a $2.50 monthly surcharge on California electric bills, which is expected to generate $13.5 billion over 17 years.

Courthouse News Service

Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor issues general order to delay criminal trials for two weeks as Los Angeles County experiences holiday surge from Delta and Omicron variants

Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor today utilized the authority granted by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye under Government Code section 68115 to extend statutory deadlines for Criminal jury trials in which the original or previously extended statutory deadline otherwise would expire from January 5 to January 19, 2022, inclusive.

LA Court News Release

Superior Court presiding judge advises public to make use of remote options amid COVID surge

Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor strongly encouraged the public and attorneys to rely on remote courtroom appearance technology and virtual service options at all Los Angeles County courthouses because of the winter COVID-19 surge. Taylor Thursday encouraged those seeking services to schedule appointments and use the available online services. He asked that people who must come to courthouses not bring unnecessary companions.

Pasadena Now

Judge denies Los Angeles County's bid to dismiss Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit over Kobe Bryant crash pictures

A federal judge in California has denied a request from Los Angeles County to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant over photos taken at the scene of her husband Kobe Bryant's fatal helicopter crash in January 2020. The NBA legend, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when a helicopter they were in crashed into a Calabasas hillside.

CNN

Appeals court overturns murder conviction in Pinole fatal crash

A California appeals court has overturned the murder conviction for a Sacramento woman serving life for killing a 28-year-old man in a 2016 car crash on Interstate 80 in Pinole, ruling that a Contra Costa judge was wrong to deny the defendant a new attorney. Keri Cache, 37, was convicted in 2019 of murdering Martinez resident Jose Daza Jr., in a crash that authorities blamed on Cache's drunk driving.

Bay Area News Group

C.A. scraps $1.25 million judgment based on pupil's injury while running on playground

A school district is not liable for injuries to a kindergartener who, in running on a playground along with classmates, at a teacher's instruction, was bumped into by another child and fell, the Court of Appeal for this district has held. Presiding Justice Laurence D. Rubin of Div. Five wrote Wednesday's unpublished opinion. It reverses a $1.25 million judgment in favor of Kody Rankin, a minor, based on a skull fracture he sustained on June 2, 2015.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Chief Justice stresses independence amid calls for court changes

Chief Justice John Roberts highlighted the judiciary's efforts to address public criticism of how it handles financial disclosures and workplace harassment, as the Supreme Court faces calls for broader structural changes. Roberts stressed the importance of judicial independence from Congressional mandates in his annual year-end report released Friday.

Bloomberg

Biden's judicial nominations to get trickier in second year

President Joe Biden faces more challenges getting judges confirmed as he turns to vacancies in states with Republican senators, while trying to further diversify the federal bench and facing what could be a closing window after midterm elections. Biden and the Democratic-led Senate confirmed a diverse slate of 40 district and appellate judges in 2021, beating out the first-year totals for every president since Ronald Reagan.

Bloomberg Law

Covid-19: Judge tosses order blocking vaccine mandate for one NYPD detective

A federal judge threw out an order that temporarily blocked New York City from enforcing its Covid vaccine requirement on a police detective who doesn't want to get the shot. State Supreme Court Justice Frank Nervo this month granted a temporary restraining order requested by Detective Anthony Marciano, barring the city from suspending him without pay if he refused to get vaccinated.

Bloomberg

Los Angeles District Attorney

The family of Michelle Avan has a question for District Attorney George Gascón

Michelle Avan was a woman passionate about affecting change in the community, providing opportunities for underrepresented individuals, and fighting for those that could not fight for themselves. She was a woman of action until she was brutally murdered! The family of Michelle Avan is moving in that same spirit of action to ensure her tragic death was not in vain.

Sentinel News Service

Beverly Hills City Council unanimously passes resolution supporting recall of LA district attorney

The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously passed a resolution on January 4 endorsing the recall of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. According to a press release from the City of Beverly Hills, the resolution was brought at the request of Beverly Hills Mayor Bob Wunderlich and Vice Mayor Lili Bosse.

Jewish Journal

What constitutes a serious crime in Los Angeles County?

Last Sunday, (January 2) a woman and her 13-year-old daughter were driving through an intersection in the the LA County town of Norwalk when a speeding car ran a red light and T-boned their car. Both died from their injuries. CBS Los Angeles reports that the driver of the speeding car, 26-year-old Brittany Lopez, was driving without a license. Investigators believe that Lopez was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Crime & Consequences

'When you wrestle with a pig, you both get muddy and the pig likes it': Tone-deaf LA attorney

LA's woke DA George Gascón has been forced to apologize to the city's cops after likening one to a pig during a fraught press conference. Gascon was referring to L.A. Sheriff Alex Villanuevas during a Wednesday question and answer session, when he responded to criticism made by the cop with: 'My dad used to say that when you wrestle with a pig, you both get muddy and the pig likes it,' Gascón said at a 90-minute Wednesday press conference before quickly adding, 'and that's not pig in terms of using the term as law enforcement.'

California News Times

Los Angeles County D.A.'s chief of staff sues Azusa police over public intoxication arrest

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón's chief of staff filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Azusa Police Department, accusing officers of violating his civil rights when they arrested him last month. Joseph Iniguez, 36, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication on Dec. 11 after officers pulled over a vehicle driven by his fiancé shortly before midnight.

Los Angeles Times

Prosecutors

L.A. prosecutors reject threat charges against prominent LAPD critic

Los Angeles County prosecutors will not lay charges against a prominent LAPD critic, saying police could not corroborate a claim he threatened a homeless man this year, court records released this week show. William Gude, 47, was arrested in late September by officers from the Hollywood division who said they threatened to assault a homeless man after an argument over trash and furniture thrown in the streets.

Los Angeles Times

Imposter posed as labor investigator issuing citations

A woman is facing charges for posing as a labor investigator and issuing citations to business owners across the city according to the Los Angeles City Attorney's office. City Attorney Mike Feuer announced charges Thursday against Nyesha Monique Elam. According to the city attorney, Elam did not work for the state nor did she have the authorization to issue citations or collect civil penalties for labor code violations. But that didn't stop her from conducting inspections at businesses across the L.A. area, according to Feuer.

Los Angeles Patch

Bill Bratton on 'Kilmeade Show': Liberal Manhattan DA's reforms are a 'recipe for disaster'

Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton told "The Brian Kilmeade Show" Thursday that new Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's prosecution plan essentially takes the handcuffs off criminals and puts them on the police. BILL BRATTON: What the new D.A. is doing, he is literally erasing the last 30 years of success. I shouldn't say the last 30 years, the last two and a half two years have been a disaster for crime and quality of life in New York.

Fox News

Progressive prosecutors face backlash as crime surges

Races for local chief prosecutors' offices were once about who appeared to be toughest on crime. Often called district attorneys or state attorneys, local chief prosecutors are publicly elected at county and sometimes city levels to steer criminal prosecutions on behalf of the people of a particular state. But since roughly a decade ago, a slew of progressive prosecutor candidates have won local races across the nation, including in Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Epoch Times

Manhattan DA to stop seeking prison sentences in slew of criminal cases

Who needs soft-on-crime judges when the district attorney doesn't even want to lock up the bad guys? Manhattan's new DA has ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for hordes of criminals and to downgrade felony charges in cases including armed robberies and drug dealing, according to a set of progressive policies made public Tuesday.

New York Post

Kankakee County prosecutors want feds to step in and seek death penalty for defendants in shooting that killed one Bradley police officer, wounded another

The Kankakee County State's Attorney's office on Monday asked the federal prosecutors to review the cases against two defendants charged in a shooting that killed one Bradley police officer and wounded another, and also asked federal prosecutors to pursue a death sentence. Darius Sullivan, 25, and Xandria Harris, 26, both stand charged in the Wednesday night shooting that killed Bradley police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, 49, and wounded critically wounded her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, 27.

CBS2 Chicago

Prosecutors drop charges against 2 correctional officers in connection with Jeffrey Epstein

Federal prosecutors in New York officially dropped charges against Tova Noel and Michael Thomas - the two correctional officers on duty when Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in a federal lockup there. In August 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell in the early hours of the morning at the now-closed Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

ABC News

Policy/Legal

Bill would amend California Prop. 47, lowering felony threshold; GOP lawmakers push for full repeal

A new bill has been introduced that would change California's Prop. 47 and lower the amount suspects can steal before facing a felony. Assemblymember Rudy Salas, (D-Bakersfield) is behind the bill. He introduced it on the same day that two Republican state lawmakers, Kevin Kiley and James Gallagher, unveiled their bill that aims to fully repeal Prop. 47.

CBS13 Sacramento

As the narrative on the LAPD shooting forms, be wary of 'experts'

In my previous column, I explained why the accidental police killing of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta was a tragedy, not a crime, and why it was not necessarily a reason for changes to law or policy. Judging from some of the ill-informed commentary I've seen, not only on social media where one is accustomed to it, but in such formerly credible outlets as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, it seems that a "narrative" has now coalesced and is being advanced, one that condemns the involved officer, now identified as William Dorsey Jones, Jr., for having acted too precipitously in firing his rifle at the suspect.

Jack Dunphy/PJ Media

The impact of Proposition 47 on crime in California (Video)

California voted to pass Prop 47, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, which reduces some nonviolent crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor. But has it really made California safer? My guest is Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. She explains why Prop 47 is a major factor behind the rise in crime in California.

California Insider

Should police arrest sex workers for standing around? Thorny question lands on Newsom's desk

In September, legislators passed Senate Bill 357, which would repeal loitering laws around prostitution, including those that target pimps and buyers. But the bill wasn't sent to Newsom for his signature or veto. Instead, in an unusual move that insiders said was requested by the governor's office, it was held and won't receive his consideration until early this year.

Los Angeles Times

What's next for employee vaccine mandates?

Vaccination policy is a top concern for many employers and employees. The Biden White House has issued several rules requiring employees in a broad cross-section of industries to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but plaintiffs across the country have filed suit, leading to months of litigation, uncertainty and inconsistent enforcement. Employers and employees may soon have firm answers about their obligations under the various rules.

Portland Business Journal

Los Angeles County/City

LAPD officer was following active shooter protocols in Burlington store shooting, police union says

Active shooter protocols were being followed in a police shooting at a North Hollywood clothing store that led to the death of a 14-year-old girl in a dressing room who was struck by a stray bullet, the police union said Monday. Valentina Orellana Peralta was shopping for Christmas clothes Dec. 23 when she was struck by a stray bullet fired by Los Angeles police who opened fire on a man attacking shoppers.

NBC4 Los Angeles

Portrait of LA cop who accidentally killed teen emerges

A coalition of civil rights groups is calling for the arrest and prosecution of the police officer who inadvertently shot a 14- year-old girl to death while confronting a suspect at a North Hollywood Burlington store. Najee Ali of Operation Hope told City News Service on Sunday that at a minimum, he would like to see Officer William Jones charged with involuntary manslaughter, similar to the charge against former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who was convicted in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.

City News Service

LAPD captain sues city, fellow captain, over gun search of his Long Beach home

A Los Angeles police captain and his wife are suing the city, alleging a fellow LAPD captain and others conducted a search of his home in 2021 - knowing he would be absent and that only his wife and minor son would be present - as part of a the city's investigation into gun sales and the conduct of employees and managers at the Los Angeles Police Athletic Club.

City News Service

'Unprecedented surge' in COVID cases among L.A. police, firefighters, medics

More than 1,000 police officers, firefighters and paramedics in the Los Angeles region were ill or at home quarantining on Tuesday after testing positive for the coronavirus, spurring additional concerns about public safety as the omicron variant continues its rapid spread. A spokesman for L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti called it an "unprecedented surge" in cases which the mayor is focused on and working to mitigate - including by authorizing additional overtime funds to cover the shifts of those out sick.

Los Angeles Times

Historic LA landmark taken over by homeless now in cleanup mode

Los Angeles lawmakers over the past few years have allowed the homeless to overtake a city-owned historic town square that has been a tourist destination for a century. When Sheriff Alex Villanueva discovered that famed Olvera Street was becoming a ghost town as merchants and restaurant owners fled the homeless encampment, he took it personally. Villanueva used to visit the city's oldest still-functioning plaza, El Pueblo, and its adjoining Olvera Street on field trips as a child.

Washington Examiner

Residents express mounting concerns over safety hazards at Venice Blvd encampment

Residents who live near an encampment on Venice Boulevard say they are worried about hazardous conditions. A list of various issues was sent to Councilmember Mike Bonin's office and other city offices on Sunday. The list, along with photos, shows an extension cord across Venice Boulevard "stealing" electricity from city lights. According to the resident, it has "been like this for a week. Surprised it's still there."

Westside Current

Crime/Public Safety

The benefits of reserve officers in modern policing

Police agencies in the United States are largely based upon the model of Sir Robert Peel's London-based Metropolitan Police and his nine principles of policing. Peel's seventh principle focused on the importance for the police "to maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police." This principle's importance to modern policing is evident in current police-community relations.

Police1

Gun violence hits 15-year high in L.A., taking lives and erasing hard-fought gains

Sean Reynolds almost lost his life over a PlayStation. The 17-year-old high school senior had arranged to sell his gaming console through the app OfferUp, and agreed to meet the buyer - another teenager - near a public housing complex in Watts. He intended to save the cash he earned for college expenses that fall. Instead, one of two teens who met Reynolds at his car that hot day in May pulled out a gun and shot him, the bullet ricocheting off his hip and fragmenting through his abdomen.

Los Angeles Times

Homicides rising in Watts, but residents say violence far from the only story

Homicide is definitely up. In Nickerson Gardens, where more people were shot to death in 2021 than in the previous three years put together. In Watts, where the low-slung yellow development takes up 55 dusty acres. In Los Angeles County. And in the U.S. as a whole. Data from the Los Angeles County coroner's office compiled by The Times tally 22 homicides in Watts from January through November, nearly double the number for the same period a year earlier.

Los Angeles Times

Beverly Hills residents are flocking to buy guns from city's only firearms store as LA crime soars

As Long Angeles crime spirals out of control, even some of the city's wealthiest residents have flocked to Beverly Hills' only gun store to buy firearms to protect themselves and their belongings. Beverly Hills Guns first opened by appointment only in July 2020, and has seen upscale residents from Santa Monica to the Hollywood Hills increasingly in a panic following some high-profile smash and grabs and violent home invasions in recent weeks, Los Angeles Magazine reports.

The Florida Post

Lawless Los Angeles, lawlessness of which I am a victim

The victim, Nurit Greenger, elderly white woman. The perpetrator, a black man, could be in his 30s. I was robbed in daylight on Monday, December 20, 2021 in Lawless Los Angeles. The thug was walking behind me planning the attack and as soon as he saw the opportunity he grabbed onto my hand bag. First instinct reaction, I held to my bag tightly and yelled at the top of my lungs.

NewsBlaze

Law enforcement saw dramatic increase in catalytic convertor theft in 2021

From homicides to school threat investigations to catalytic convertor thefts and more crime continues to be a problem for the community. But the biggest jump didn't come from homicides, and it's causing frustration for local authorities. 23ABC spoke to law enforcement officials about the recent uptick in crime and what factors may be contributing.

23ABC Bakersfield

Criminals will decide how big an issue crime will be

Politicians thrive on power. Psychological studies often find they seek office and once there, try to stick around to preserve their power more than to get rich. So it's ironic that criminals, a group despised by this state's political class, should now be in position to set much of California's political agenda for 2022. In this state of almost 40 million persons, as few as 200 to 300 individuals took group actions in November that might reverse years of liberal lawmaking and leftist defiance of the voters' will on things like cash bail.

California Focus

California/National

States back McKinsey bid to dismiss local governments' opioid cases

Eleven states on Monday argued that cities and counties nationally were trying to "usurp" their authority by suing McKinsey & Co Inc for turbocharging the U.S. opioid epidemic, after McKinsey already agreed last year to settle with every U.S. state for $642 million. A coalition of states led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a brief in San Francisco federal court backing the consulting firm's contention that local governments were barred from suing it separately over the settled claims.

Reuters

DA drops Cuomo sex crime charge: 'impossible to prove'

The Albany County district attorney said Tuesday he will not pursue a sex crime prosecution against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegedly groping an aide, dropping the case after a public schism with the local sheriff who filed the misdemeanor charge. In a statement, District Attorney David Soares said that while he found the woman credible, he concluded that he could not prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

Law360

Consumer

Cable companies must provide pro-rata refunds when people quit, 1st Circuit rules

A popular Maine law that forces cable companies to give a pro-rata refund to TV customers who quit in the middle of a month was upheld Tuesday by the First Circuit. Although the 1984 federal Cable Act prohibits states from regulating cable rates, the Maine law doesn't regulate rates or tell companies how much they can charge for service, the court said. It merely requires a refund after the consumer quits and is no longer receiving any service.

Courthouse News Service

Convictions/Sentences/Pleas

Elizabeth Holmes found guilty on four out of 11 federal charges

Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO and founder of failed blood testing startup Theranos, was found guilty on four charges of defrauding investors, capping off the stunning downfall of a former tech icon. She was found not guilty on three additional charges concerning defrauding patients and one charge of conspiracy to defraud patients. The jury returned no verdict on three of the charges concerning defrauding investors, and Judge Edward Davila, who is presiding over the case, is expected to declare a mistrial on those charges.

CNN Business

Huntington Park man sentenced to 21 years in prison for armed robbery spree targeting Southland Trader Joe's grocery stores

A Huntington Park man was sentenced this morning to 252 months in federal prison for committing 21 armed robberies and attempted armed robberies of Trader Joe's grocery stores throughout Southern California during a three-month crime spree. Gregory Johnson, 44, was sentenced by United States District Judge Virginia A. Phillips for the robberies in which Johnson used a semi-automatic handgun to terrorize store employees and customers.

Department of Justice Press Release

Corrections & Parole

Man convicted in 1979 gruesome double murder in Modesto found suitable for parole

A Modesto man convicted in a brutal double murder that happened more than four decades ago was found suitable for parole, the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday. Ronald Ray Anderson, 60, was convicted in 1979 as an accomplice in the murders of Phillip and Kathryn Ranzo and sentenced to life in prison. Anderson's parole hearing was Wednesday.

CBS13 Sacramento

Phone calls for Aryan Brotherhood member weren't private at California prison, lawyers say

Lawyers for Aryan Brotherhood defendant Brant Daniel have been trying for a year now to get their client moved out of California State Prison, Sacramento, alleging his life is in danger, that guards at the troubled prison have threatened to kill him and that his supposedly confidential legal conversations and mail are being monitored.

San Luis Obispo Tribune

Articles of Interest

Slain officer's sister sues Facebook over Boogaloo shooting

Facebook's parent company was accused Thursday in California state court of aiding the Boogaloo extremist group, resulting in the shooting death of a federal officer during a 2020 protest in Oakland over the killing of George Floyd. The suit, filed by Angela Underwood Jacobs, the sister of slain officer Dave Patrick Underwood, claims that Meta Platforms Inc.'s Facebook social media site promoted extremist content and enabled extremist groups to recruit new members despite knowing that doing so could lead to violence.

Law360

California launches program to compensate survivors of state-sponsored sterilization

Continuing the state's leadership to redress historical injustices, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the launch of California's new program to compensate survivors of state-sponsored sterilization, created as part of the 2021-22 state budget package. Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, survivors of state-sponsored sterilization can apply for compensation through California's Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program, which is being administered by the California Victim Compensation Board.

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

Buckle up! 2022 is going to be a big one for the Supreme Court

The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once observed that "it's hard not to have a big year at the Supreme Court." However, there are some years that are bigger than others. That's what 2022 is likely to be. The court has accepted a series of transformative cases with few available exit ramps. It recently added to that list. In other words, it is likely to issue historic rulings on abortion, gun rights and an assortment of other issues.

The Hill

Long-secret $500,000 settlement between Epstein and Virginia Roberts is UNSEALED but makes NO mention of Prince Andrew by name: His lawyers argued it would release him from liability

The settlement signed by Prince Andrew's accuser that the Duke hopes will lead to the dismissal of her sex assault lawsuit against him was unsealed today. Signed in 2009, Virginia Giuffre agreed to be paid $500,000 by Jeffrey Epstein to resolve the sex abuse case against him. Andrew's lawyers have claimed the agreement would prevent Giuffre from continuing the battery lawsuit she filed against him in 2020 because it absolved him of liability for future cases.

Daily Mail

Donald Trump, Don Jr. and Ivanka subpoenaed in NYAG fraud probe

Donald Trump and two of his children, Don Jr. and Ivanka, have been subpoenaed by the New York attorney general in connection with an ongoing state probe into the former president's real estate dealings. The subpoenas were disclosed in a 5-page filing in state court made public Monday, the latest episode in New York's long-running investigation into the financial dealings of the Trump Organization.

Courthouse News Service

United Airlines real life "Catch Me If You Can" caught after 23 years

In the 1970s it was much easier to take on a new identity than it is today. Assume the name of someone who died young and didn't create much of a paper trail, and won't be using it. Perhaps someone that didn't get a social security number when they were born (it was much more common then). Get a copy of their birth certificate, apply for a social security card. I knew someone that did this, and not the guy in Catch Me If You Can.

View From the Wing

Citing losses of more than $1 billion, NHL sues insurers over rejected COVID-19 claims

The National Hockey League and 20 of its teams are suing five of their insurance providers, alleging the companies have breached contracts by refusing to reimburse more than $1 billion worth of losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit was filed in June 2021 in the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara. The parent companies of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens, and Vancouver Canucks are among the teams suing.

TSN

Pensions

Who should pay for pension mistakes? New California law puts employer on the hook.

California state retirees can breathe a little easier on Jan. 1, as a new law goes into effect directing the California Public Employees Retirement System to go after employers - not retirees - in cases where the pension system discovers errors in pension calculations. The law ends a practice in which CalPERS and and government employers like city governments required retirees to repay miscalculated pensions while reducing their retirement income going forward.

Sacramento Bee

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